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While benchmark dose (BMD) methodology is well-established for settings with a single exposure, these methods cannot easily handle multidimensional exposures with nonlinear effects. We propose a framework for BMD analysis to characterize the joint effect of a two-dimensional exposure on a continuous outcome using a generalized additive model while adjusting for potential confounders via propensity scores. This leads to a dose-response surface which can be summarized in two dimensions by a contour plot in which combinations of exposures leading to the same expected effect are identified. In our motivating study of prenatal alcohol exposure, cognitive deficits in children are found to be associated with both the frequency of drinking as well as the amount of alcohol consumed on each drinking day during pregnancy. The general methodological framework is useful for a broad range of settings, including combinations of environmental stressors, such as chemical mixtures, and in explorations of the impact of dose rate rather than simply cumulative exposure on adverse outcomes.
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BACKGROUND: Most studies of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on cognitive function have assumed that the dose-response curve is linear. However, data from a few animal and human studies suggest that there may be an inflection point in the dose-response curve above which PAE effects are markedly stronger and that there may be differences associated with pattern of exposure, assessed in terms of alcohol dose per drinking occasion and drinking frequency. METHODS: We performed second-order confirmatory factor analysis on data obtained at school age, adolescence, and early adulthood from 2227 participants in six US longitudinal cohorts to derive a composite measure of cognitive function. Regression models were constructed to examine effects of PAE on cognitive function, adjusted for propensity scores. Analyses based on a single predictor (absolute alcohol (AA)/day) were compared with analyses based on two predictors (dose/occasion and drinking frequency), using (1) linear models and (2) nonparametric general additive models (GAM) that allow for both linear and nonlinear effects. RESULTS: The single-predictor GAM model showed virtually no nonlinearity in the effect of AA/day on cognitive function. However, the two-predictor GAM model revealed differential effects of maternal drinking pattern. Among offspring of infrequent drinkers, PAE effects on cognitive function were markedly stronger in those whose mothers drank more than ~3 drinks/occasion, and the effect of dose/occasion was strongest among the very frequent drinkers. Frequency of drinking did not appear to alter the PAE effect on cognitive function among participants born to mothers who limited their drinking to ~1 drink/occasion or less. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that linear models based on total AA/day are appropriate for assessing whether PAE affects a given cognitive outcome. However, examination of alcohol dose/occasion and drinking frequency is needed to fully characterize the impact of different levels of alcohol intake on cognitive impairment.
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INTRODUCTION: Many studies have examined changes in marijuana use across adolescence, but few have examined factors associated with transitions from adolescence to young adulthood. We examined prenatal exposures to alcohol and marijuana and adolescent risk and protective factors that best distinguished among abstinence, continuity, or cessation of marijuana use from 16 to 22 years. METHOD: Data were from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project at the prenatal and 16- and 22-year follow-up phases. The offspring were of lower socioeconomic status with an average of 12.8 years of education at 22 years. Participants' frequency and quantity of marijuana use over the past year were used to determine change in use. A discriminant analysis was applied to distinguish among the identified groups. The risk factors considered included prenatal substance exposures and age 16 demographics, behavior, and home environment. RESULT: Four categories of transitions were defined based on marijuana use from 16 to 22 years: non-users (n = 193), stop/decrease (n = 81), continue at same level/increase (n = 125), and initiation after the 16-year phase (n = 122). The factors that best distinguished among these groups were peers' marijuana use, delinquency, caregivers' financial strain, prenatal exposure to alcohol and marijuana, and race. CONCLUSION: Prenatal alcohol and marijuana exposure were significantly related to transitions of marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood, controlling for peers' use, behavior problems, and home environment. While gestational marijuana exposure was associated with early initiation/increasing use, alcohol exposure was related to later initiation. The findings emphasize the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and marijuana.
Subject(s)
Cannabis , Marijuana Smoking , Marijuana Use , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Substance-Related Disorders , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Young Adult , Cannabis/adverse effects , Ethanol , Longitudinal Studies , Marijuana Smoking/adverse effects , Marijuana Smoking/epidemiology , Marijuana Use/adverse effects , Marijuana Use/epidemiology , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiologyABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.970434.].
ABSTRACT
Recent studies conducted in the natural habitats of songbirds have provided new insights into the neural mechanisms of turn-taking. For example, female and male plain-tailed wrens (Pheugopedius euophrys) sing a duet that is so precisely timed it sounds as if a single bird is singing. In this review, we discuss our studies examining the sensory and motor cues that pairs of wrens use to coordinate the rapid alternation of syllable production. Our studies included behavioral measurements of freely-behaving wrens in their natural habitat and neurophysiological experiments conducted in awake and anesthetized individuals at field sites in Ecuador. These studies show that each partner has a pattern-generating circuit in their brain that is linked via acoustic feedback between individuals. A similar control strategy has been described in another species of duetting songbird, white-browed sparrow-weavers (Plocepasser mahali). Interestingly, the combination of neurophysiological results from urethane-anesthetized and awake wrens suggest a role for inhibition in coordinating the timing of turn-taking. Finally, we highlight some of the unique challenges of conducting these experiments at remote field sites.
Subject(s)
Songbirds , Vocalization, Animal , Acoustics , Animals , Brain/physiology , Female , Male , Songbirds/physiology , Urethane , Vocalization, Animal/physiologyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The goals of this study were to model maternal patterns of cannabis use from one year pre-pregnancy to 16 years postpartum and to determine if different patterns of maternal cannabis use predicted offspring substance use at age 22. METHODS: Women were recruited from a prenatal clinic between 1982 and 1984. Maternal cannabis use was assessed by trained interviewers twice during pregnancy, at delivery, 8 and 18 months, 3, 6, 10, 14, and 16 years postpartum. At age 22, substance use and dependence were measured in offspring. Growth mixture models of maternal cannabis use were calculated and adult offspring substance use outcomes were regressed onto maternal cannabis trajectory classes (n = 551). RESULTS: There were five distinct patterns of maternal cannabis use. Offspring of mothers who were chronic cannabis users were more likely to use cannabis (p < 0.001) and develop CUD (p < 0.05) than offspring whose mothers did not use cannabis. Offspring of chronic cannabis users were also more likely to be nicotine dependent by age 22 than offspring whose mothers did not use cannabis (p < 0.01) and than offspring whose mothers were decreasingly likely to use over time (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Integrated variable- and person-centered analyses revealed long-term and meaningful patterns of cannabis use and desistance. Chronic maternal cannabis use is a risk factor for regular and dependent cannabis use and for dependent tobacco use among young adult offspring. These findings have implications for maternal-child health given the increasing prevalence of cannabis use among women.
Subject(s)
Cannabis , Hallucinogens , Tobacco Use Disorder , Adult , Female , Humans , Mothers , Pregnancy , Tobacco Use , Tobacco Use Disorder/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Evidence from animal models and epidemiological studies has linked prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) to a broad range of long-term cognitive and behavioural deficits. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the nature and levels of PAE associated with increased risk of clinically significant cognitive deficits. To derive robust and efficient estimates of the effects of PAE on cognitive function, we have developed a hierarchical meta-analysis approach to synthesize information regarding the effects of PAE on cognition, integrating data on multiple outcomes from six U.S. Iongitudinal cohort studies. A key assumption of standard methods of meta-analysis, effect sizes are independent, is violated when multiple intercorrelated outcomes are synthesized across studies. Our approach involves estimating the dose-response coefficients for each outcome and then pooling these correlated dose-response coefficients to obtain an estimated "global" effect of exposure on cognition. In the first stage, we use individual participant data to derive estimates of the effects of PAE by fitting regression models that adjust for potential confounding variables using propensity scores. The correlation matrix characterizing the dependence between the outcome-specific dose-response coefficients estimated within each cohort is then run, while accommodating incomplete information on some outcome. We also compare inferences based on the proposed approach to inferences based on a full multivariate analysis.
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The working experience for those in the sexual minority is not well understood, particularly with respect to interpersonal mistreatment based on sexual orientation. This study breaks new ground by utilizing a sample of 416 LGB working adults to assess the relative usefulness of two bullying measures (the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (Person-Related) and the Homophobic Bullying Scale) to determine their convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity in predicting organizational commitment, turnover, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results show that discriminant and convergent validity exist between these scales and both measure similar levels of perceived bullying (from the victim's perspective). We concluded that although there are similarities and differences between these measures, more research is needed to determine the most appropriate instrument to assess perceived bullying in a sexual minority population. Several areas for subsequent research are noted.
Subject(s)
Bullying , Sexual and Gender Minorities , Adult , Bisexuality , Female , Humans , Male , Sexual Behavior , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cognitive and behavioral sequelae of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) continue to be prevalent in the United States and worldwide. Because these sequelae are also common in other neurodevelopmental disorders, researchers have attempted to identify a distinct neurobehavioral profile to facilitate the differential diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We used an innovative, individual participant meta-analytic technique to combine data from six large U.S. longitudinal cohorts to provide a more comprehensive and reliable characterization of the neurobehavioral deficits seen in FASD than can be obtained from smaller samples. METHODS: Meta-analyses were performed on data from 2236 participants to examine effects of PAE (measured as oz absolute alcohol/day (AA/day)) on IQ, four domains of cognition function (learning and memory, executive function, reading achievement, and math achievement), sustained attention, and behavior problems, after adjusting for potential confounders using propensity scores. RESULTS: The effect sizes for IQ and the four domains of cognitive function were strikingly similar to one another and did not differ at school age, adolescence, or young adulthood. Effect sizes were smaller in the more middle-class Seattle cohort and larger in the three cohorts that obtained more detailed and comprehensive assessments of AA/day. PAE effect sizes were somewhat weaker for parent- and teacher-reported behavior problems and not significant for sustained attention. In a meta-analysis of five aspects of executive function, the strongest effect was on set-shifting. CONCLUSIONS: The similarity in the effect sizes for the four domains of cognitive function suggests that PAE affects an underlying component or components of cognition involving learning and memory and executive function that are reflected in IQ and academic achievement scores. The weaker effects in the more middle-class cohort may reflect a more cognitively stimulating environment, a different maternal drinking pattern (lower alcohol dose/occasion), and/or better maternal prenatal nutrition. These findings identify two domains of cognition-learning/memory and set-shifting-that are particularly affected by PAE, and one, sustained attention, which is apparently spared.
Subject(s)
Central Nervous System Depressants/adverse effects , Cognition/drug effects , Ethanol/adverse effects , Executive Function/drug effects , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Attention/drug effects , Child , Child Behavior , Child Development , Female , Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders/diagnosis , Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders/etiology , Humans , Intelligence Tests , Longitudinal Studies , Pregnancy , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in short-term perinatal outcomes between the two prominent screening strategies for gestational diabetes mellitus, the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) and Carpenter-Coustan. METHODS: In this single-site, blinded, randomized, comparative effectiveness trial, participants received a nonfasting 50-g oral glucose tolerance test and, if less than 200 mg/dL (less than 11.1 mmol/L), were randomized to further screening with either IADPSG or Carpenter-Coustan criteria. Gestational diabetes treatment occurred per routine clinical care. The primary outcome was incidence of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) neonates. Prespecified secondary outcomes included small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates, cesarean birth, and neonatal and maternal composites of adverse perinatal outcomes. Assuming a 15% incidence of LGA neonates in the Carpenter-Coustan group, 782 participants provided more than 80% power to detect a 7% absolute risk reduction with the use of IADPSG; planned recruitment was 920 for anticipated attrition. RESULTS: From June 2015 to February 2019, 1,016 participants were enrolled and 921 were randomized to IADPSG (n=461) or Carpenter-Coustan (n=460) groups. Gestational diabetes incidence (14.4% vs 4.5%, P<.001) and diabetes medication use (9.3% vs 2.4%; P<.001) were more common in the IADPSG group; there were no differences in LGA neonates, either overall (risk reduction 0.90, 97.5% CI 0.53-1.52) or among women without gestational diabetes (risk reduction 0.85, 97.5% CI 0.49-1.48). Those screened with IADPSG had higher rates of neonatal morbidity but fewer study-related adverse events. Rates of SGA neonates, cesarean birth, and maternal morbidity composite did not differ significantly between study groups. CONCLUSIONS: The IADPSG screening criteria resulted in more women diagnosed and treated for gestational diabetes than Carpenter-Coustan without reducing the incidence of LGA birth weight or maternal or neonatal morbidity. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02309138.
Subject(s)
Diabetes, Gestational/diagnosis , Mass Screening/statistics & numerical data , Pregnancy Outcome/epidemiology , Adult , Diabetes, Gestational/epidemiology , Female , Fetal Macrosomia/epidemiology , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Mass Screening/methods , Pennsylvania/epidemiology , Pregnancy , Young AdultABSTRACT
Coordination of behavior for cooperative performances often relies on linkages mediated by sensory cues exchanged between participants. How neurophysiological responses to sensory information affect motor programs to coordinate behavior between individuals is not known. We investigated how plain-tailed wrens (Pheugopedius euophrys) use acoustic feedback to coordinate extraordinary duet performances in which females and males rapidly take turns singing. We made simultaneous neurophysiological recordings in a song control area "HVC" in pairs of singing wrens at a field site in Ecuador. HVC is a premotor area that integrates auditory feedback and is necessary for song production. We found that spiking activity of HVC neurons in each sex increased for production of its own syllables. In contrast, hearing sensory feedback produced by the bird's partner decreased HVC activity during duet singing, potentially coordinating HVC premotor activity in each bird through inhibition. When birds sang alone, HVC neurons in females but not males were inhibited by hearing the partner bird. When birds were anesthetized with urethane, which antagonizes GABAergic (γ-aminobutyric acid) transmission, HVC neurons were excited rather than inhibited, suggesting a role for GABA in the coordination of duet singing. These data suggest that HVC integrates information across partners during duets and that rapid turn taking may be mediated, in part, by inhibition.
Subject(s)
Songbirds/physiology , Vocalization, Animal/physiology , Animals , Female , MaleABSTRACT
More Americans are using marijuana than in previous decades but there are concerns over its long-term impact on cognitive functioning, especially memory. The literature on marijuana use and cognitive functioning is mixed, with some studies showing recovery of functioning upon abstinence from the drug and others showing long-term effects that persist. The latter seems especially true for individuals who initiate marijuana at a younger age and engage in more chronic patterns of use. The goal of the current study is to use prospectively collected data on young adults from a prenatal cohort to determine if there is an effect of early and/or current marijuana use on young adult memory, controlling for prenatal exposure to marijuana use, childhood memory deficits, and other significant covariates of memory functioning. At the 22-year follow-up phase of the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development (MHPCD) study, 524 young adults (58% Black, 42% White, 52% female) completed the Wechsler Memory Scale-III. Multiple regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to determine the effect of marijuana exposure during gestation, early adolescence, and young adulthood on young adult memory function. Results indicated that initiating marijuana use before age 15 placed young adults at greater risk of memory deficits, even after controlling for childhood memory and current marijuana use. First trimester marijuana exposure also indirectly predicted young adult memory function via childhood memory deficits and early initiation of marijuana. These findings highlight the risk of prenatal marijuana exposure and early initiation of marijuana for long-term memory function in adulthood.
Subject(s)
Marijuana Use/adverse effects , Marijuana Use/psychology , Memory/drug effects , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/psychology , Adolescent , Age of Onset , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Intelligence Tests , Learning Disabilities/chemically induced , Learning Disabilities/psychology , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Memory Disorders/chemically induced , Memory Disorders/psychology , Neuropsychological Tests , Pregnancy , Wechsler Scales , Young AdultABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Daily combustible cigarette use is common among cannabis users, and dual use of cigarettes and cannabis is associated with detrimental outcomes. This study addresses gaps in the literature by examining data from the prenatal and adolescent phases of a prospective, longitudinal study to predict adult daily dual use. METHODS: Young adult offspring (M age = 22.8 years, 53% female) from a prenatal cohort reported on combustible cigarette and cannabis use (N = 500, 58% Black, 42% White). Pathways to daily dual use were modeled using variables from the gestational and adolescent phases of the study including prenatal tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis exposures; ages at initiation of cigarettes and cannabis; and adolescent learning/memory, impulsivity, and behavior problems. RESULTS: Prenatal cannabis and tobacco use were not directly linked to adult daily dual use of cannabis and tobacco. However, structural equation modeling revealed three significant indirect pathways from prenatal cigarette and cannabis exposures to adult daily dual use of cigarettes and cannabis via early cigarette initiation, early cannabis initiation, and adolescent behavior problems. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified pathways from prenatal cannabis and tobacco exposure to adult daily dual use, in addition to clarifying adolescent outcomes that may be part of the pathways. In a climate of growing acceptance of cannabis use and increasing legalization of recreational use, these findings serve as a warning that early exposure to cannabis may have an important role in shaping long-term dual use of tobacco and cannabis.
Subject(s)
Cannabis , Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Tobacco Products , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Pregnancy , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology , Prospective Studies , Nicotiana , Tobacco Use , Young AdultABSTRACT
Unrelated cord blood (CB) is an excellent alternative as an allogeneic donor source for stem cell transplantation. CB transplantation is associated with lower incidence of severe acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) and chronic GVHD but similar rates of malignant relapse compared with other unrelated donor cell transplants. NK cells are critical innate immune components and the comparison of CB vs. peripheral blood (PB) NK cells is relatively unknown. NK cell receptor expression, cell function, and maturation may play a role in the risk of relapse after CB transplant. We investigated CB vs. PB NK cell subset cytotoxicity, function, receptor expression, and genomic and proteomic signatures. The CB CD56dim compared with PB CD56dim demonstrated significantly increased expression of NKG2A and NKG2D, respectively. CB vs. PB CD56dim NK cells had significantly decreased in vitro cytotoxicity against a variety of non-Hodgkin lymphoma targets. Various proteins were significantly under- and over-expressed in CB vs. PB CD56dim NK cells. Microarray analyses and qRT-PCR in CB vs. PB CD56dim demonstrated significantly increased expression of genes in cell regulation and development of apoptosis, respectively. In summary, CB vs. PB CD56dim NK cells appear to be earlier in development, have decreased functional activity, and increased capacity for programmed cell death, suggesting that CB NK cells require functional and maturational stimulation to achieve similar functional levels as PB CD56dim NK cells.
Subject(s)
CD56 Antigen/blood , Fetal Blood/immunology , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Adult , Apoptosis/genetics , Apoptosis/immunology , CD56 Antigen/immunology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cytotoxicity, Immunologic , Fetal Blood/cytology , Fetal Blood/metabolism , Genomics , Humans , Immunophenotyping , Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism , NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C/metabolism , NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K/metabolism , Proteomics , Receptors, NK Cell Lectin-Like/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Transcriptome/immunologyABSTRACT
In humans, mutations in the transcription factor forkhead box P2 (FOXP2) result in language disorders associated with altered striatal structure. Like speech, birdsong is learned through social interactions during maturational critical periods, and it relies on auditory feedback during initial learning and on-going maintenance. Hearing loss causes learned vocalizations to deteriorate in adult humans and songbirds. In the adult songbird brain, most FoxP2-enriched regions (e.g., cortex, thalamus) show a static expression level, but in the striatal song control nucleus, area X, FoxP2 is regulated by singing and social context: when juveniles and adults sing alone, its levels drop, and songs are more variable. When males sing to females, FoxP2 levels remain high, and songs are relatively stable: this "on-line" regulation implicates FoxP2 in ongoing vocal processes, but its role in the auditory-based maintenance of learned vocalization has not been examined. To test this, we overexpressed FoxP2 in both hearing and deafened adult zebra finches and assessed effects on song sung alone versus songs directed to females. In intact birds singing alone, no changes were detected between songs of males expressing FoxP2 or a GFP construct in area X, consistent with the marked stability of mature song in this species. In contrast, songs of males overexpressing FoxP2 became more variable and were less preferable to females, unlike responses to songs of GFP-expressing control males. In deafened birds, song deteriorated more rapidly following FoxP2 overexpression relative to GFP controls. Together, these experiments suggest that behavior-driven FoxP2 expression and auditory feedback interact to precisely maintain learned vocalizations.
Subject(s)
Corpus Striatum/physiology , Deafness/metabolism , Deafness/physiopathology , Feedback, Sensory/physiology , Forkhead Transcription Factors/physiology , Learning/physiology , Social Behavior , Vocalization, Animal/physiology , Age Factors , Animals , Corpus Striatum/metabolism , Corpus Striatum/physiopathology , Finches , Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism , MaleABSTRACT
The evolutionary conservation of neural mechanisms for forming and maintaining pair bonds is unclear. Oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine (DA) transmitter systems have been shown to be important in pair-bond formation and maintenance in several vertebrate species. We examined the role of dopamine in formation of song preference in zebra finches, a monogamous bird. Male courtship song is an honest signal of sexual fitness; thus, we measured female song preference to evaluate the role of DA in mate selection and pair-bond formation, using an operant conditioning paradigm. We found that DA acting through the D2 receptor, but not the D1 receptor, can induce a song preference in unpaired female finches and that blocking the D2 receptor abolished song preference in paired females. These results suggest that similar neural mechanisms for pair-bond formation are evolutionarily conserved in rodents and birds.
Subject(s)
Avian Proteins/genetics , Courtship , Dopamine/metabolism , Receptors, Dopamine D1/genetics , Receptors, Dopamine D2/genetics , Songbirds/physiology , Vocalization, Animal , Animals , Avian Proteins/metabolism , Conditioning, Operant , Female , Finches/physiology , Receptors, Dopamine D1/metabolism , Receptors, Dopamine D2/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: With the increasingly permissive legal and social environments regarding marijuana, it is important to understand prenatal marijuana use from the perspective of women who use marijuana. Our objective was to qualitatively describe the marijuana use experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of women who used marijuana during pregnancy. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with pregnant women who had either reported current marijuana use or had urine testing positive for marijuana. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for patterns and themes. RESULTS: Twenty-five pregnant women who used marijuana during their pregnancies participated in our study interviews. Main themes that emerged from the interviews were that women: 1) reported higher amounts of marijuana use prior to pregnancy and attempted to reduce their use once they realized they were pregnant; 2) used marijuana to help with nausea and appetite changes during pregnancy or to improve mood; 3) described marijuana as "natural" and "safe" compared to other substances such as alcohol, tobacco, other recreational drugs, and prescribed medications; 4) had conflicting opinions regarding whether marijuana was addictive; and 5) were uncertain but had some concerns regarding potential risks of prenatal marijuana use. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women who used marijuana in pregnancy held contradictory beliefs about continued use; they reported trying to reduce usage and were worried about potential risks, but also felt that marijuana is more natural and safer than other substances, including prescribed medicines. These findings have implications for how practitioners address prenatal marijuana use and highlight the need for further research on developmental outcomes.
Subject(s)
Attitude , Culture , Marijuana Use/psychology , Pregnant Women/psychology , Self Report , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Marijuana Abuse/epidemiology , Marijuana Abuse/psychology , Marijuana Use/epidemiology , Marijuana Use/trends , Nausea/drug therapy , Nausea/epidemiology , Nausea/psychology , Pregnancy , Young AdultABSTRACT
Studies have shown that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is related to drinking problems during adulthood, but the level of prenatal exposure associated with young adults' quantity and frequency of alcohol use and drinking problems has not yet been established. The relation between PAE and offspring levels of alcohol use and alcohol abuse/dependency was examined in 608 22-year-olds. Mothers were recruited in early pregnancy and maternal alcohol use data were collected for each trimester of pregnancy. The offspring were assessed at multiple phases from birth to young adulthood. The average daily volume of drinking was calculated based on a self-report questionnaire developed by the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project and alcohol abuse/dependence was assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule-IV. Exposure to one or more drinks/day during the first trimester of pregnancy was significantly related to increased levels of drinking at 22â¯years of age, controlling for other predictors of alcohol use. PAE was also related to two or more symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder, but not to a full diagnosis of young adult alcohol abuse/dependence. These results indicate that individuals exposed to as little as one drink per day during gestation are at risk of higher levels of drinking and more problems with alcohol by age 22.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Alcoholism/epidemiology , Ethanol/adverse effects , Maternal Exposure/adverse effects , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology , Alcoholism/etiology , Ethanol/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Maternal Exposure/statistics & numerical data , Pregnancy , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/etiology , Prospective Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
An operant conditioning paradigm is used to test the song preference of female zebra finches. Finches are placed in a two-chambered cage with a connecting opening and indicate their preference for a song by landing on a perch within each chamber. By interrupting the infrared beam from a photoelectric sensor above each perch, the bird activates the playback of a song through a speaker located on each side of the cage. Freely available software is used to trigger the song playback from each perch. To determine the song preference of each animal, her chamber preference is first identified by triggering no song playback when she lands on each perch. This chamber preference is then compared to her song preference. A minimum activity threshold is set to ensure the preference is real. Using this method, we show that paired females prefer the song of their partner. This method was used to understand the contribution of dopamine to the formation and maintenance of song preference.
Subject(s)
Conditioning, Operant , Finches/physiology , Vocalization, Animal/physiology , Animals , Dopamine/physiology , Female , MaleABSTRACT
Objectives This study is to examine the association between different diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and adverse birth outcomes. Study Design A retrospective cohort study of 5,937 women with a singleton pregnancy was conducted, who completed GDM screening between 24 to 32 weeks gestational age. Four nonoverlapping groups of women defined as: 1) Normal: glucose challenge test (GCT) <130 mg/dL, 2) elevated GCT + normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): abnormal 1 hour GCT + normal 3 hour OGTT, 3) GDM/International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG): abnormal 3 hour OGTT by the IADPSG criteria, and 4) GDM/Carpenter-Coustan (CC): diagnosis per CC criteria. We used logistic regression to examine the association between GDM group classification and main outcome of macrosomia and secondary birth outcomes. Results Prevalences were GDM/CC 4.6%, GDM/IADPSG 3.0, and 7.6% overall. GDM/IADPSG group was associated with increased macrosomia (adj OR [odd ratio] 1.87; 95% CI [confidence interval]: 1.08-3.25; p = 0.02), while GDM/CC group was associated with increased preterm birth (adj OR 1.75; 95% CI: 1.05-2.80; p = 0.03). Conclusion Little difference in birth outcomes was found between the two criteria, GDM/CC and GDM/IADPSG. Randomized controlled trials are needed to clarify the risks and benefits of these screening paradigms before their incorporation into clinical practice.